The Suzhou Alley Women’s Mural (SAWM) celebrates the remarkable contributions of the women who helped shape Vancouver’s Chinatown over the last century. Based on many years of archival research, in-depth interviews, and community engaged activities, the project brings forth unsung stories from the Chinese community. This May, a section of the mural will be unveiled for the first time at the Brighouse Branch of the Richmond Public Library.
As a highlight of this special Asian Heritage Month exhibition, Cinevolution will present a dynamic artist and community panel on Saturday, May 11 (2pm), featuring:
- Modernize Tailors owner and senior tailor, Mia Wu
- Award-winning researcher, educator and community activist, Dr. Imogene Lim
- Interdisciplinary artist and curator, Alger Ji-Liang
- Emerging documentary filmmaker, Daniel Chen
Coming from different generations and diasporic backgrounds, the panelists will share their perspectives on how the women in the mural are relevant to our lives today, and how understanding the history of Vancouver’s Chinatown can help us to make sense of Richmond and the communities that have made the city their home. The panel will open with a community premiere of the SAWM Digital Stories, four short films created by local filmmakers Daniel Chen, Alger-Ji Liang, and Catrina Megumi Longmuir.
The panel will take place on the main floor of the Brighouse Library (7700 Minoru Gate, Richmond). Admission is free but space is limited. Please register on the library website to save your spot!
The exhibition will be on view until May 31. Throughout the exhibition, visitors will have the opportunity to add their voice to the project through a digital postcard. Come explore the exhibit and share your stories to contribute to a project that celebrates the women in our lives and communities!
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Suzhou Alley Women’s Mural Panel
Saturday, May 11, 2:00-3:30 pm
Richmond Public Library – Brighouse Branch (7700 Minoru Gate)
FREE. Register to save your spot.
For many people, Chinatown is a thing of the past. How are the women in the Suzhou Alley Women’s Mural and their stories relevant to our lives today? How can understanding the history of Vancouver’s Chinatown help us to make sense of Richmond and the communities that call it home? Join us for a dynamic panel discussion that tease out the threads that connect Richmond to Chinatown, and broader conversations around immigration, cultural heritage, and diasporic identities.
Mia Wu is Owner and Senior Tailor at Modernize Tailors, a legacy custom tailor shop that has been part of Vancouver’s Chinatown since 1913. Born and raised in Taiwan, Mia apprenticed at Modernize Tailors with Bill Wong and devoted her career to carrying on the legacy of Modernize Tailors after his passing in 2017.
Imogene Lim is an educator, researcher, and community activist, who is a descendant of two head-tax payers (1890 and 1892). Her families represent two Chinatowns, Cumberland and Vancouver. An anthropologist, Dr. Lim teaches at Vancouver Island University’s Department of Anthropology, and the Global Studies Program. She is a recipient of the BC Medal of Good Citizenship (2020).
Daniel Chen is an aspiring documentary journalist currently completing his BA in Asian Studies and Asian Canadian and Asian migration studies at the University of British Columbia. Part of the Digital Stories team, Daniel traces the relationship between food and culture in “Serving the Community: Food as a Medium of Cultural Conservation.”
Alger Ji-Liang is an emerging interdisciplinary artist who situates the body as the centre of research and uses photographic and filmmaking practices to speak on identity, memory, and space. Part of the Digital Stories team, Alger speaks to younger members of the Chinese diaspora who are finding a place for themselves in Chinatown in “Cultural Activism of the Diaspora: Intersection of Heritage, Community and Care.”
Artist Team
Lead Artists: Elisa Yon and Janet Wang
Mural Artists: Elisa Yon, Janet Wang, Laurie M. Landry, Mengya Zhao, Stella Zheng
Digital Stories Artists: Alger Ji-Liang, Catrina Megumi Longmuir, Daniel Chen
The Suzhou Alley Women’s Mural is generously supported by Cinevolution Media Arts Society, Canada Council for the Arts, and BC Arts Council.
Special thanks to the BC Arts Council and the UBC Quan Lee Excellence Fund for Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies for their support of the “Suzhou Alley Women’s Mural: Digital Stories.”